


Hunters of Eros

by LalodyBear



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: All the russians are hunters, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Exorcists, F/M, Ghosts, Hunter!Victor, Hunter!Yuri, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Vampire Hunter, Vampire!Minami, Vampire!Yuuri, Victor is scary, Yuuri is ancient, vampire slayer, vampire!Phichit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-09-19 01:11:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9410855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LalodyBear/pseuds/LalodyBear
Summary: Lord Eros is perhaps the oldest of all living vampires and a legend among hunters. For thousands of years no-one has been able to slay him and stop his evil reign.Victor Nikiforov is the greatest hunter to have ever lived.~After seemingly endless sightings of newborn vampires appearing across Japan, Yakov's hunters are sent to put a stop to it. During a hunt, Victor Nikiforov has his first ever innocent witness to a slaying - Yuuri Katsuki, an utterly adorable local. After being cornered into staying with the group of Russian hunters, Yuuri just prays Victor doesn't find out his secret and slay him in his sleep.





	1. Just A Witness

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I'm back with a vampire au that nobody asked for. This one isn't finished so the updates will be rather sporadic but if it is well received then I will be encouraged to work on it more often for you guys.  
> Please enjoy x

 

Everyone has heard of vampires. They’ve all heard the legends about the fiends in the night who feast on the blood of anyone foolish enough to get caught outside alone. They’ve all heard of the sharp teeth, deathly skin and red eyes. They’ve all heard the stories and whispered about them to their friends in the dark, under bedsheets where it’s safe. Few have seen these creatures. Fewer have hunted them. Even less are able to say that they are one the monsters themselves.

“Lord Eros?” The young man, one of the monsters, tilted his head as he observed his master, “Is something wrong?”

The Japanese man looked up from his phone, “Minami, what have I told you about calling me that in public?”

The young vampire – Minami – blushed a brilliant red and lowered his head in shame, “I’m sorry, Lor- _Yuuri.”_ Minami hated angering his master. Lord Eros was a powerful vampire, perhaps the strongest alive, and Minami had the utmost pleasure of serving him over the last two hundred years. Minami would never forget the day he had been begging on the streets, trying to obtain enough money to eat something that day. A stranger – his master, Lord Eros – had given him a small pile of gold and told him to hurry and purchase something delicious for himself. Minami had been overjoyed and had hugged Lord Eros before making his way to the marketplace. Unfortunately, a group of desperate beggars had cornered him, done some horrible things to him and taken the gold for themselves. They had left Minami with a deadly stab wound in his thigh and scratches all over his body. Perhaps it had been the scent of his blood that had drawn Lord Eros to Minami once again that night. Lord Eros took pity on Minami for reasons Minami had never understood and had offered Minami an eternity at his side. Minami owed Lord Eros his life and, no matter how much Lord Eros would insist that he was free, Minami would serve his master faithfully until the end.

“It’s alright, Minami,” _Yuuri_ said with a friendly smile on his face, “this identity is still quite new.”

Minami released his breath. His master was eternally kind to him even when he made mistakes that might cost Lord Eros his life.

“Phichit has contacted me,” Yuuri turned his phone in Minami’s direction. The screen displayed a blurry silver-haired man opening the door of a large, black car. He couldn’t contain the small gasp that passed his lips. To most it did not seem like much but to vampires it meant disaster. “He says that he has reason to believe the hunters are sending Victor Nikiforov to hunt me.”

Yuuri retracted his phone, looking down at the screen with focused brows. Hunters are not exactly a new thing - hunters had been around longer than Yuuri had – but in recent years as humans invented new technology they had become more deadly. Victor Nikiforov was perhaps the deadliest. He was responsible for the elimination of upwards of 100 vampires, albeit the vampires that were caught were all young vampires of less than two hundred years. Rumor has it (from Phichit of course) that as 450-year-old vampire was slain last month by Nikiforov’s hunting party which was the oldest vampire ever slain by a hunter. Yuuri could see why a vampire like Minami would be terrified of Nikiforov but Yuuri wasn’t convinced that a hunter of any caliber would be able to slay Yuuri himself – a vampire’s strength outclassed a human’s in every way. Yuuri had walked the earth for over 2500 years and he wasn’t regarded as a legendary vampire for nothing. He considered himself safe for the time being.

Yuuri was not too concerned about Nikiforov’s plans to hunt him though he did wonder what it was that put Nikiforov onto his scent. Yuuri examined the photograph closer. The image was unclear, likely taken by an unsteady hand, but Yuuri could make out sharp, angular features and eyes that seemed to see right through his soul… that is, if he still had one.

 

 

It had been almost a week since Yuuri had tasted human blood and he was starting to feel the effects. His muscles ached and felt slightly too heavy for his body. His senses were dulled, he was barely noticing each passing car as he dragged his feet along the sidewalk. It’d still be a while before the sun would begin to faze him. He wasn’t yet starving so despite his lack of focus if he really needed to react to danger he would be able to in a heartbeat, his body would draw upon his remaining power to overcome the threat. But he knew there was nothing to be feared so he allowed himself to relax; Eros was perhaps the scariest thing in this entire country. If the people around him knew who he was, if they even suspected that they might be in the presence of such a monster, they would run and scream and Yuuri would have to return to Yu-topia and take shelter there for a while until people calmed down and moved on. He also would have the option of simply moving countries but he had grown attached to the hot springs over his years in Hasetsu.

Yu-topia was owned by the Katsuki family, the family that he claimed to be a member of. Well, claimed isn’t really true as he technically is a part of the Katsuki family. They were descendants of his family line and had adopted the status of vampire guardians. For almost a thousand years the Katsuki line had welcomed him and his own, providing shelter during identity changes and offering their blood to the starving who sought shelter with them. Yuuri had long since outgrown the need to rely on guardians for blood; Yuuri was perfectly capable of hunting by himself. It’d take weeks for him to become starved and blood-crazed. He had no excuse; he was expected to hunt.

There, in the black jeans and hoodie. His scent wafted over to Yuuri and he breathed it in deeply. The stranger had an intense aroma that alerted Yuuri to his healthy status and delectable blood. He hesitated, remembering the hunters that were likely already in this town. Approximately 600 years ago he had an odd encounter with a hunter after he had tracked their scent – some blood on a cloth – into the forest only to come face to face with a holy cross and a stake near his chest. If he hadn’t been already 2000 years old at the time he would have collapsed before the cross and died at the hands of the hunter. Unfortunately for the hunter, exposure builds resistance and Yuuri had been through a lot of exposure. The hunter did not live to see the next morning.

Yuuri watched as the figure in the black hoodie weaved their way through the crowd and followed, maintaining a practical distance. Even if they vanished, he already had their scent and would be able to track them at the distance of a few hundred meters inside a city – even further in less populated places. Yuuri was cautious and wouldn’t strike until he knew he was alone and wasn’t hunter bait. He wouldn’t kill the person – he wasn’t a starving newborn – he would simply knock them out with his saliva and leave them to wake in their own time with no memories of what had happened.

From the corner of his eye, Yuuri spotted something unusual. A young man had rushed out of a small café, flushed, breathing heavy with frantic eyes rapidly scanning the crowd. His actions and cold, dead scent alerted Yuuri to the fact that this man was a newborn vampire, probably no more than a week old. Yuuri pitied him. But this new born vampire had locked onto Yuuri’s own target. Yuuri growled, quietly under his breath. It was a challenge. _Back off._

The newborn froze and snapped his attention to Yuuri, letting out a growl of his own. Was this newborn stupid? He was going to fight someone for lunch that he just _had_ to know was entirely out of his league. The lack of self-control that newborns exercised disgusted him.

Yuuri slipped into an alleyway, knowing that if he stayed out in the open the newborn may not be able to hold themselves back from fighting him on the street with lots of witnesses. Newborns were so messy. Yuuri didn’t particularly enjoy having to assert his dominance over newborns – or any vampire for that matter – but he knew that what must be done must be done. If his control over the vampires in his domain slipped, then it would only result in too many dead humans and no one for the responsible vampires to answer to. Yuuri understood the importance of laying low but not everyone did.

When Yuuri began to approach the end of the alleyway, he pulled out his phone and pretended to make a call. He doubted anyone was going to see him right now but it was always better to be safe than sorry. Being alone in an alleyway was always suspicious, especially with new hunters in town that would undoubtedly be constantly on patrol for anything that might help them find the local vampires.

“Hey, Mum,” Yuuri said into his phone, listening intently for signs of movement from the newborn, “Yeah, I got off the streets where it’s quieter.” There was scraping behind him at the end of the alleyway. The newborn’s footsteps froze for a moment before rushing down the alleyway towards Yuuri. Yuuri turned quickly, ready to face the newborn head on.

A figure dropped from the sky on top of the newborn, kicking them into the ground. A gasp escaped Yuuri’s lips and a small flush decorated his cheeks. Where did that person come from? How had Yuuri not sensed them until they revealed themselves? The new figure pulled out a large blade as they knocked the struggling newborn into the wall, bringing the blade down through their neck, decapitating the head clean off. They were a hunter. _A hunter that Yuuri hadn’t sensed_.

Yuuri looked at the hunter and froze. He recognized that silver hair.

_Victor Nikiforov._

Nikiforov pulled out a vial and emptied the clear contents over the neck wound. The newborn’s blood sizzled at the contact. Holy water. Holy water in the bloodstream of a vampire delayed healing and burned through the flesh once inside. Yuuri doubted that the newborn would heal even if Nikiforov had not used holy water; newborns were weak and their regenerative abilities were lacking considerably. Decapitation would almost always kill them for good. From the way that the hunter was intently examining his kill it did not seem like Nikiforov had noticed his presence – though, honestly, Yuuri greatly doubted Nikiforov had not heard him talking on the phone or seen him enter the alleyway ahead of the newborn.

A new figure entering the alleyway caught Yuuri’s attention. It was the hoodie person from before. So Yuuri had been right to be wary of them.

“Oi, Victor,” the newcomer said, removing their shades to reveal intense green eyes. Blonde hair framed his face and fell across one of his eyes. He would have been quite pretty if he didn’t wear such a heavy scowl.

“Oh,” Victor looked up, just noticing his companion, a smile growing on his lips, “Hello, Yuri. I dealt with one of the vampires.”

“You promised that today I would get to kill the vampire,” the boy complained with a heavy Russian accent, stalking towards Victor. “You were supposed to let me lure them away and kill them by my- oh.”

 The younger one was staring right at Yuuri. Yuuri stared back, unsure of what to do next. If he ran the hunters would know he was a vampire, they’d have his face and likely trace him back to the Katsuki family and he would put his family at risk. He would be willing to fight if Nikiforov’s stealth and efficiency hadn’t unsettled him, plus he was outnumbered. If he wasn’t prepared to fight he couldn’t let the hunters know he was a vampire – after all, Yuuri hadn’t survived so long by rushing into fights he was uncertain about even if the odds were in his favor.

“Wow,” The younger one cackled. What did the boy find so amusing? Victor was now looking at him, jaw slightly ajar and crystal blue eyes wide. Victor ran a hand through his hair and let out a troubled sigh.

Yuuri sighed nervously and opened his mouth to say something, _anything_ , that would get him out of this prickly situation. No words came out. What a brilliant time for his anxiety to render him speechless.

“Victor, they saw you!” The blonde exclaimed, “It’s your first witness! Yakov is going to be so shocked when the legendary Victor Nikiforov brings back a witness.”

Witness? Did they mean witness to their hunting? Had Victor Nikiforov truly never been witnessed? Yuuri hadn’t even realized that witnesses were something hunters would be wary of… though it did make perfect sense now that he thought about it. Fortunately, the hunters didn’t seem to suspect anything was amiss with Yuuri.

“You,” The blonde gestured at him, “What’s your name?”

Yuuri swallowed, not expecting to have been addressed directly. “Yuuri.”

“You’re joking,” the blonde let out a groan. “There’s going to be two Yuuris around the base.”

Around the base? “W-what do you mean?”

The blonde – Yuri, too? – scoffed, “Don’t act stupid. You just saw my friend here kill somebody. You didn’t think we’d just let you run off now, did you? Could you imagine how much trouble that’d cause?”

Yuuri panicked internally. The hunters were going to take him back to their base. How many hunters would be around Yuuri? They’d undoubtedly work out he was a vampire and work together to slay him even if they did not know he was Eros. Yuuri doubted his ability to resist the forces of many hunters at once, especially if they were anything like Nikiforov. If they were smart their bases would be covered in holy symbols and laced with vampire protection. But Yuuri greatly doubted he had a choice if he didn’t want to reveal who he was and place his family in danger.

“Yuuri,” Nikiforov said, voice strangely tender yet demanding Yuuri pay attention to him, “I promise this is not what it looks like. I killed this person but he was not good. Come with me and let me explain, okay? I promise that no harm will come to you.” Nikiforov’s voice was beautiful with a heavy Russian accent. Its richness could be felt all throughout Yuuri’s body, causing his belly to stir oddly. It was compelling, called to him in a way Yuuri had never experienced. Yuuri felt himself nodding in acceptance before he could stop himself.

“I already let Yakov know where we were,” the other Yuri said. “He should be here soon with Georgi to clean up the mess.”

As though he just realized the Japanese man was in shock, Nikiforov moved over to where Yuuri was frozen on the spot and placed his hand on Yuuri’s shoulder. Even though Yuuri knew he wasn’t actually in shock – he had, naturally, witnessed death countless of times over the 2500 years he had been alive – he welcomed the touch, feeling the human warmth seep through his shirt and spread like fire across his body. “I’m sorry for bringing you into this,” Nikiforov said.

Yuuri looked up into Nikiforov’s eyes, surprised to find genuine concern and regret. Yuuri isn’t sure why but he felt the urge to reassure the hunter and let him know that it wasn’t his fault Yuuri had been in the alleyway with the vampire.

Yuuri caught himself and looked away, unsure of what to do. It made no sense for him to feel like this or to react to it. The last time he had felt the strange urge to protect someone was when he offered to turn Minami who seemed too kind to suffer through a cruel death in the slums. Yuuri slouched away from the hand on his shoulder and adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t afford to pity a hunter whose eyes would freeze over and whose warm hands wouldn’t hesitate to slay him should he know who – _what_ – Yuuri really was. Nikiforov was entirely different to Minami.

Nikiforov was his enemy.

The sound of an engine at the end of the alleyway demanded the trio’s attention. A large black car stopped and sat idle as a young brunette man dressed in purple emerged from the back seat.

“Finally,” the blonde Yuri muttered, “We can go back. It was starting to get too dark for my tastes.” The blonde strolled towards the vehicle, brushing past the brunette man and climbing into the passenger seat.

“Come, Yuuri,” Victor said, sounding even more hurt than he did before. Yuuri clenched his jaw and fought the guilt from his chest. Victor waited expectantly.

With a shaky sigh, as though he was signing his own death sentence, Yuuri headed towards the car. The brunette wordlessly opened the side door for him, motioning with his hand for Yuuri to climb in. Begging to whatever gods might hear the prayers of the dead that he might make it out of this situation alive, Yuuri silently and slowly climbed in with the Russian hunters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so while I do have an idea of where I want this to go, nothing is really set in stone so if I am definitely open to any suggestions or ideas that anyone has. I will be having some Otayuri later on in the story but that probably won't be for a few more chapters so sorry if you were expecting that immediately. Also, sorry if you think Yuuri is a little out of character... it's kind of difficult to portray him in character with this context.
> 
> Remember that kudos and comments show me if you guys are liking it and will motivate me to write more than I otherwise would ;) *wink wink nudge nudge*


	2. A Lion in the Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I can't say I expected you all to like the first chapter so much! All of you wonderful comments definitely encouraged me to write this for you guys :3 Thank you for all your lovely words and constructive criticism. I read every single one!
> 
> Here is the next chapter, please enjoy!

The car was suffocating, an odd experience for Yuuri considering he didn’t need oxygen to survive. It had taken him a few minutes to realize why his lungs burned and his throat constricted and itched uncomfortably. On the dash of the car the hunters had some kind of air-freshener, likely made from sage or other herbs, that was wafting throughout the enclosed space. These kinds of herbs weren’t very common in the modern day but Yuuri could recall a time in which paranoia and spirituality encouraged the burning of herbs to ward off evil. It had worked when Yuuri was young… the scent caused him to feel as though he was breathing in heavy smoke and force him to cough. After extended exposure to the smoke, Yuuri’s muscles felt weak and he would find it difficult to move. Fortunately for Yuuri it had been a very long time since he was a young vampire and he didn’t doubt that he could now resist the scent if he willed it.

Nikiforov had entered the car soon after Yuuri had, sitting at the other widow in the back seat. Yuuri hadn’t noticed that the hunter had been tense before but the way that Nikiforov immediately relaxed back into his seat, letting out a heavy sigh, told Yuuri all he needed to know. The hunters trusted each other… and more importantly, they didn’t suspect he wasn’t human. It made complete sense to Yuuri… any vampire would be hacking away at the door, struggling to escape as soon as they realized they were sitting in this scent. So long as Yuuri could pretend that he was unaffected by the hunter’s warding they had no reason to suspect him. Had he been merely 1000 years younger he likely wouldn’t be able to pull it off. Yuuri hoped that he would be able to withstand all the warding in the hunter’s base… he didn’t exactly make a habit out of testing these things.

“Victor,” The driver, Yakov, said, glancing at Nikiforov through the mirror, “Give our guest one of the blankets. He’s terrified and it’s a long drive back to the base.” Blankets? Yuri snickered from the front seat.

Nikiforov turned to look at Yuuri and smiled, “Of course, my apologies. This is my first time with a witness so forgive me if I make you uncomfortable.”

“I think it’s too late for that,” Yuri quipped.

The itch in Yuuri’s throat prevented him from reassuring everyone that he was alright. That was probably a good thing considering his safety relied on him appearing to be a traumatized human who was suspicious as to the motives of his… escorts. Yuuri was certain he was meant to believe that the people around him were murderers trying to kidnap him. He had to be careful not the break the illusion.

Yuuri watched wordlessly as the best hunter in the world reached under the seat in front of him, pulled out a fluffy pink blanket, unfolded it as he turned to Yuuri and proceeded to place it around Yuuri like a backless cocoon. As Nikiforov’s hand withdrew it left the scent of the man’s blood to waft around Yuuri’s nose, prominent and tantalizing. “Are you comfortable?” Nikiforov asked.

Yuuri looked at Nikiforov, taking in his appearance _truly_ for the first time. The first thing Yuuri noticed was how his eyes reminded Yuuri of ice yet seemed to contain a genuine lifelike fire within them. The man had a straight and sharp nose, pale white skin and thin lips spread in an unsure smile. His silver hair was unique - Yuuri would have assumed it was dyed if his eyebrows and eyelashes weren’t a match – and cut short at the neck with longer strands falling across his eyes, stopping as they brushed his cheekbones. Yuuri could hear Nikiforov’s heartbeat through his clothes, fast but not too fast, and echoed by his pulses. His scent continued to waft out of his collar, warm and delicious, growing stronger the longer Yuuri stared at the pale, paper-thin flesh of his neck.

Yuuri was fortunate for his control and stamina that he had built up over the years. He looked down, not wanting to tempt himself with succulent flesh any more than he had to. He was grateful that he could survive so long without blood – _oh, damn it._ Yuuri was hungry. His unsuccessful hunt started to weigh over his mind as he considered how he would obtain blood at a hunter base. Would there be any normal people that he could bite? Would the hunters see someone passed out and know that somehow a vampire had broken into their base? Would they immediately blame him and hunt him down in one of the only places on earth he would consider himself to be weak?

His distress must have shown on his face because Nikiforov withdrew further into his own seat. It didn’t matter though because the scent of human blood still mingled with the poisonous herbs and filled every corner of the car. Yuuri resigned himself to his fate; he knew that so long as he stayed with the hunters his hunger would grow and the warding would continue to repel him. He hoped he would be able to resist. He closed his eyes and relaxed, starting a meditation in an effort to ignore his body’s complaints.

 

 

Yuuri wasn’t sure how long he stayed meditating for but he was pulled out of his trance by a hand softly pushing his shoulder. “Yuuri, wake up,” Nikiforov gently shook him. “We’re at the base.”

Yuuri opened his eyes and pushed the blanket off of his shoulders. The sky was now completely dark and the building was illuminated only by lanterns that lined the walls of the traditional Japanese building. They appeared to be at a large house that was two stories tall and surrounded by trees. Yuuri briefly considered why a group of Russians would own a traditional Japanese building and came to the conclusion that it had likely been owned by hunters for many years; as far as Yuuri as aware, it wasn’t uncommon for hunters to own many bases across the globe… particularly recently. For clarification, recently for Yuuri was within the last 300 years.

Yuuri noticed that only he and Nikiforov were left in the car. Yuri and Yakov must have already left. “Yuuri,” Nikiforov murmured, “I won’t hurt you. We should go inside so that you can properly meet everyone and have dinner.” _Dinner._ Yuuri knew that human food would do nothing for his body. His body had stopped requiring physical sustenance as soon as he had turned and would only be able to operate on the energy stored within the life-giving liquid contained and generated by the human body. Only blood could quench his thirst. _Thirst._ It had been quite a few years since Yuuri had had to resist eating but he hoped his body would adapt to it soon.

“You’re not very talkative, are you?” Nikiforov joked, climbing out his side of the car. The door slammed behind him. Yuuri removed his own seatbelt, pushed the blanket entirely off of his lap and reached for the door-handle but was surprised to see the Russian hunter swing it open before he got the chance. “I’d offer to carry you like a princess but I think it would be good for you to take a walk.”

Like a _princess?_ Yuuri can’t recall anyone having the nerve to address him in such a way… except perhaps Phichit. “I can walk,” Yuuri stated, coughing briefly to clear his throat from the awful scratchiness that had built up from breathing in the herbs.

“Ah,” Nikiforov smiled, perking up at the response, “You _can_ talk!”

What a peculiar man. He had so easily beheaded a vampire without hesitation and with cold, deadly precision yet at this moment he seemed warm, inviting… even perhaps a little unsure of himself. Yuuri climbed out of the vehicle and Nikiforov closed the door behind him.

Looking at the house, Yuuri could see that the other hunters had left the front door open for them. He could see shadows of people moving around inside but couldn’t quite make out what they were doing. Yuuri couldn’t deny the strange beauty that this base emitted. The twinkling sky cast from above a white glow upon the trees like a cold, shimmery dusting of ice. The warm orange light oozed from the lanterns that swayed softly in the breeze as if to ward off the void-like shadows creeping in from the forest. The traditional roof of the house, lined with dark tiles that glowed in the moonlight, reached above the trees as if to declare its dominance over the night. It looked like something out of a dream.

It was Yuuri’s nightmare.

All the beauty, all the lighting, all the movement; everything about it was designed to repel Yuuri. He was as welcome there as a lion was welcome in the ocean. Two dangerous worlds colliding in a way that was not to his advantage.

Nikiforov’s tentative hand on Yuuri’s back is what encouraged Yuuri to take his first steps towards the house. Their shoes crunched small pebbles into the pavement as they walked silently. Every time Yuuri passed by a cross he could feel the heat and pressure emanating from it, pushing him away, demanding he turn around and leave. Yuuri pushed passed them with ease. As they stepped up onto the veranda, Yuuri could feel the herbs burning his throat before he could smell them. A quick glance around alerted him to the source. The windows were each accented with a lit incense stick placed delicately on an artistically shaped holder. The wooden one on the windowsill by the front door was long and thin and had been carved to resemble a lounging tiger that appeared to be staring at Yuuri, mocking him. Yuuri supposed that the smell of incense was something he would have to get used to.

Yuuri stepped through the open door without hesitating and began to remove his shoes. The idea that vampires had to be invited into homes was just a myth spread around by parents to ease their frightened children. Yuuri had always thought it was silly that that idea spread so thoroughly but he supposed it did make his life easier… the more expectations that he broke the less people caught on to his differences.

“Come this way, Yuuri,” Nikiforov said, leading him into a pleasantly decorated room with a sofa. He ignored the pressure he felt from the crosses, akin to the pressure felt when forcing two alike magnets closer. His body felt as though it was being pushed from all angles but he was strong enough to resist; any younger vampire would have been paralyzed on the spot as if trapped on all sides by large rocks.

Nikiforov turned to Yuuri with a forced smiled, “If you wait here I can make you a hot chocolate and introduce you to everyone properly.”

Yuuri shook his head, “That’s really not necessary.” It wasn’t as though he’d be able to enjoy the hot chocolate. From experience Yuuri could say that chocolate tasted bland, had an irritating texture and spread all across his mouth in a way that took forever to clear out. It had been a very long time since he bothered with drinking liquid chocolate… it had been enjoyed by the Egyptians and during his travels there his wealthy ‘clients’ would take pleasure out of feeding their exotic little Eros their liquid money. The amount of blood he could take from them had definitely been worth the experience.

Nikiforov smiled more, his eyes closed and his head tilted slightly to the side, “It would be my pleasure. You’ve been through so much, it’s the least I can do for you.”

Yuuri bit his lip but nodded his head. He knew when to give up. Humans were incredibly persistent when they thought their honor was at risk and it wasn’t as though he wasn’t already at the height of discomfort simply being inside this house. How much worse could one drink make him feel?

Yuuri shuffled on his feet awkwardly as Victor left the room for a moment before making his way over to the plush, beige sofa. As he sunk into the cushions he found he quite liked this sofa. It was nice. Comfortable. He allowed himself to relax, his shoulders rolling back, at let out a sigh.

Hurried footsteps alerted him to the excited woman before she burst into the room. She gazed at him with wide, blue eyes and an astounded smile. Her red wine curls gracefully frame her face, falling across smooth pale skin. “Hi,” she breathed, “Welcome!”

“Hello,” Yuuri smiled back.

“I’m Mila,” She winked. “I heard we had a new guest from Yuri but he didn’t say you were so adorable.”

_Adorable?_ These humans were so strange… He knew he was attractive to humans due to his natural appeal as a vampire but they had never gone so far as to call him _adorable._ Well, that is, as far as he could remember… if any had they certainly hadn’t lasted long enough to tell the story.

“Oi, hag! Didn’t I tell you to leave the guest alone?” Yuri stood in the doorway, glaring angrily at the pretty red-head.

Mila threw her head back and laughed, “You only said he was shy, not that I couldn’t talk to him!”

“Same difference!” Yuri insisted, clenching his fists. “You’re so annoying that hardly anybody could stand listening to you speak!”

“Aww, Yuri,” Mila cooed, forcing the struggling blonde boy into an embrace, “At least I have you, right?”

“Get the fuck off me, you witch!” Yuri managed to free himself by using his lack of height to his advantage and slip out from below her arms. “Women are fucking terrible,” Yuri stated, looking directly at Yuuri, “ _Especially this one._ ”

“Uh…” Yuuri had no idea what to say.

“It’s fine,” Mila grinned, “He may seem like a firecracker but that’s just how he shows his love.”

“I’m done with you.” Yuri stormed out of the room, brushing past Nikiforov as he carried a tray with four hot chocolates.

Nikiforov paused and looked after Yuri, concerned. “Yuri, where are you going? I made you hot chocolate with four sugars just as you like it.” Mila blanched.

“Fine!” Yuri returned with angry stomping and seated himself on the seat of the sofa furthest from Yuuri. Nikiforov placed the tray on the coffee table and passed a cup to Yuri with a 3D cartoon tiger head on the side. ‘ _Rawr!_ ’ was written in bubble letters above the tiger. Yuri took a greedy sip from his hot chocolate and visibly relaxed.

Nikiforov handed a regular black mug to Mila that she accepted with a gracious nod of thanks and sat on a single sofa recliner. He then picked up a similar mug and held it out for Yuuri. “I didn’t know how much sugar you like so I used two,” Nikiforov explained, “I hope that is okay.”

Yuuri pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose before reaching out and taking the cup, “It’s fine.” A moment passed. “Thank you.”

“It’s not a problem, Yuuri,” Nikiforov smiled pleasantly. “Anything for the comfort of our guest.”

“Except you can’t leave,” Yuri input snidely. “Or touch anything.”

Mila shot Yuri a look. Yuri shot one back. Nikiforov ignored them both. Cup in hand, the legendary hunter seated himself between Yuuri and Yuri. “I didn’t make any for Yakov because he is leaving soon to meet back up with Georgi to take care of the body.” Yuuri could feel Mila’s eyes on him.

Yuuri raised his cup to his mouth and poured the liquid onto his tongue. It burned at contact. Yuuri resisted the urge to choke. Was there _holy water_ in his hot chocolate? It made complete sense… of course hunters would lace their food and beverage with holy water. Better to be safe than sorry.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Nikiforov’s hands still. He looked at Yuuri with concern in his eyes, “Is it alright?”

“Too hot,” Yuuri thanked his quick tongue, “I wasn’t expecting it.”

Nikiforov nodded in understanding, “My apologies.”

Yuuri stared down at the hot chocolate that he held in his lap. He considered his options. He could not drink it and risk raising suspicion where it wasn’t necessary… eventually his drink would cool and he’d have no excuse to not drink it. Alternatively, he could drink it and suffer a few days’ worth of reduced healing and pain in his stomach. He sighed to himself. It wasn’t like he wasn’t already doomed to breathed poisonous incense and resist the repelling forces of all the religious symbols scattered throughout the home for the entire duration of his stay here. Perhaps if he grew too weak he could pass it off as sickness.

Resigning to his fate, Yuuri once again raised the cup to his mouth and took another sip, resisting the urge to wince as the liquid burned everything it touched. Yuuri was starting to think he pissed off every single god that had ever existed and was now facing his punishment. 2500 years’ worth of sin was starting to catch up to him.

“We should take this time to properly introduce ourselves,” Nikiforov said. “My name is Victor Nikiforov, I’m 27 years old and I’m from Russia. I absolutely adore poodles. I have one, his name is Makkachin.”

“He usually takes Makkachin with him everywhere,” Mila comments with a smile. “That dog means the world to him.”

“He’s obsessed,” Yuri rolled his eyes.

Mila rolled hers in petty retaliation, “Don’t act like you wouldn’t roll over if your cat commanded it.”

Yuri scoffed but neither confirmed nor denied it. “Whatever.”

“Yuri,” Nikiforov said, “Why don’t you introduce yourself now?”

Yuri leant his head on his fist, “I’m Yuri Plisetsky and the only Yuri we need in this house.”

Nikiforov frowned. “Yuri,” He warned. Yuuri noted that Nikiforov had a very pleasant voice when he was serious.

“I like killing monsters,” Yuri concluded. “Mila?” Nikiforov rubbed his face in his hand. Mila glanced nervously at Yuuri. Yuuri looked away.

“Well,” Mila tucked her bouncing curls behind her ears, “You already know my name is Mila. I’m training under Yakov with Yuri and we work with Viktor and Georgi. I like gymnastics.”

They all looked at Yuuri. It was his turn. He tapped his finger on his cup. “My name is Yuuri. I like…” Blood? Hunting? Listening to the thumping of hearts? “Dancing.”

They all exchange glances as they consider Yuuri’s introduction. “Yakov has us do dancing,” Yuri comments, “He says it’s good for endurance and flexibility.”

Yuuri nodded. There were lots of health benefits from dancing for humans. Yuuri had always danced right from the beginning and even after he turned he couldn’t give it up.

“Now, Yuuri,” Nikiforov says, hesitantly. “I know you must be frightened by what you saw earlier tonight and you must want answers… but it would be best if we waited until Yakov and Georgi returned. Yakov is the one who usually handles this.”

Mila nods, “You’ve handled everything extremely well so far. We will make you some dinner. In the meantime, you should definitely text any family or partner or friend you have that might be concerned if you go M.I.A for too long. Don’t go making any distress call just yet, though.” Mila set her cup down on the tray with a playful wink.

Right, Yuuri still had his phone. He could text Minami and Phichit. His family at Yu-Topia would not be too concerned if he did not return home for a while but he knew his dear friends would riot if he vanished without telling him. He pulled out his phone and began to text.

**To Minami:** I will be gone for a while, something happened.

He definitely couldn’t tell Minami what had happened. Minami would definitely freak out and try to come to his rescue and just end up getting himself killed by the hunters. There would be no way that the young vampire could do anything at this stage.

**To Phichit:** Russians caught me. Will be out of commission for a while. Be careful.

Almost instantly, his phone buzzed with replies.

**From Minami:**!!!!!!

**From Phichit:** OMW

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D :D :D
> 
> Just as a note, I do plan on writing an OtaYuri one-shot soon (that might evolve into a longer story) so keep your eyes out for that if you're interested!
> 
> PLEASE let me know what you thought of this chapter! I take every word into consideration when I'm writing and developing the plot. If you have any concerns at all please let me know! And, of course, nice words are welcome, too ;) Also, just in general, feedback definitely raises my interest in writing quicker so ~~
> 
> Also, you can join me on tumblr at http://lalody.tumblr.com/ ! I will sometimes post updates on the progress of new chapters or new stories that I'm writing!


	3. Like Chewing Gum While You Starve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy oh boy am I sorry for how long it took me to do this chapter!! If I'm completely honest I was postponing writing it mainly because I'm still deciding on some of the plot particularly in the middle of the story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter ^-^

It didn’t take long for Yuuri to hear an unfamiliar pair of heartbeats somewhere in the house. If he concentrated, he could still hear the heartbeats of the three hunters that had wandered off to prepare dinner so he knew that whoever these two heartbeats belonged to were not Mila, Yuri Plisetsky or Victor Nikiforov. He moved down the corridor towards them and stopped outside the door directly between him and the people.

The door opened before he had a chance to knock. A young girl stared up at him with large, hazel eyes. A woman, her mother if the physical resemblance was anything to go by, moved in behind her and looked at Yuuri with a cautious smile. “Can we help you?” The mother asked.

“Uh, hello,” Yuuri began, “I’m new here…”

“Oh,” The mother startled, opening the door a little further. “We are, too. This morning one of those monsters attacked my daughter. If it wasn’t for that silver-haired man it would have seriously hurt her. Did he save you, too?”

Yuuri nodded. He hadn’t exactly been _saved_ but that was just a minor detail that no one in this building needed to be alerted to. “I’ve only been here for about half an hour.”

The mother nodded, “I see…”

The young girl frowned up at Yuuri. “Mama, I don’t like him,” She turned and buried her face in her mother’s skirt. Yuuri bristled. Sometimes children could be talented at picking up on his abnormalities; he had been called a monster by them so many times in the past.

Her mother stroked her hair, “Baby, it’s alright.” She tucked a blonde strand of hair behind her daughter’s ear, “Sorry about her. My name is Emily and my daughter’s name is Beatrice. She is still scared from this morning.”

Yuuri bowed slightly and brought his hand to his face to fix his glasses, “It’s alright, I understand. Beatrice is a very brave girl for having faced the monsters. I’m sure I’m nothing in comparison.” He smiled down at her softly.

Beatrice brought her head out of her mother’s skirt and faced Yuuri again, nodding, “You’re much nicer than that bad monster that tried to bite me.”

Yuuri wasn’t too sure about that but he didn’t correct her.

“Mama,” Beatrice tugged, “I’m hungry.”

Emily smiled, “Yes, baby, I know. The nice people said that dinner would be very soon, we just have to wait.”

Yuuri wasn’t entirely sure how the hunter’s intended on making sure that Emily and Beatrice would keep their mouths closed about vampires. It was obvious that both were very well aware of what had happened to them and the hunters didn’t seem to have tried to hide it. Yuuri hummed. He smiled softly at Emily and Beatrice, “If you ladies would excuse me I am going to continue my adventures around the house. It was wonderful meeting you both.”

Emily’s smile reached her eyes, “Yes, it was wonderful meeting you too, mister…”

“Katsuki,” Yuuri supplied, “Katsuki Yuuri.” Emily nodded and pulled Beatrice further into the room so she could politely close the door.

Yuuri’s wandering around the house resumed easily now that his curiosity was sated. It was interesting to know that he wasn’t the only ‘witness’ under the care of the Russian hunters. Still, he wondered when the standard practice was to let the witnesses leave. How long would he have to keep up the façade? Yuuri had done very little to deserve being in this situation; he was always sure that his food was comfortable, he hadn’t killed anybody in years and he tried to blend seamlessly into modern human society. Yuuri had ever taken up coaching ballet with the local Ballet teacher, Minako.

Suddenly, a strong forced knocked Yuuri to the floor. Dazed, he fixed his glasses and pushed himself up on his elbows. A large dog, a poodle, was standing over him and sniffing his jacket enthusiastically.

“Uh,” Yuuri assessed the creature. Yuuri had had many dogs over the years. They were simple animals but very loyal and he was fond of them. They didn’t seem to mind that Yuuri was a vampire and in extreme cases they had served to postpone his starvation when it was unsafe for him to feed on a human at the given time. Animal blood was not at all satisfactory and was akin to chewing gum when instead you wanted a meal but it did give him a little more time before he had to drink human blood. Suddenly, it occurred to Yuuri that the gods were smiling upon him this day. It wouldn’t be safe for him to use this dog right now considering the hunters would be looking for him any minute now. Perhaps they would all go out again tomorrow and give him an opportunity to feast. Briefly, his mind went to the woman and child from before… perhaps tonight-

“Makkachin! Get off of him!”

Yuuri tilted his head back and spotted Nikiforov stalking towards them, seemingly flustered and clicking his fingers. It occurred to Yuuri that this must be the dog that the others had been talking about earlier. The dog – Makkachin – obediently jumped off of Yuuri and bound over to her owner.

“I’m so sorry, Yuuri!” Nikiforov smiled sheepishly, “She is usually pretty well behaved around our guests.”

Yuuri climbed to his feet, “It’s alright, Nikiforov. I should have been more mindful.”

“Please,” Nikiforov said, “I know it’s customary for Japanese people to call each other by their lasts names but please call me Victor.”

Yuuri didn’t know how he felt about acting casual with hunters but he supposed if he wanted to maintain his image as a regular person he would have to do as Niki- _Victor_ asks of him. Yuuri nodded.

Victor grinned wide and joyful, “Wonderful! Now, I was trying to find you to let you know that Mila and Yuri are serving dinner now.”

Yuuri nodded again, “Alright.”

Yuuri and Makkachin both trailed behind Victor as he led them back through the house and into the dining room. Emily and Beatrice were already seated next to Mila and opposite Yuri. Their plates had already been filled with food.

“Hello again, Yuuri,” Mila greeted with a large smile, “This is Beatrice and Emily. Your seat is next to Beatrice.”

“We met already,” Beatrice chirped, happily piercing a potato with her fork and shoving it greedily into her mouth. Emily smiled apologetically at her daughter’s eagerness before starting on her own meal.

Mila raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment any further. Instead, she turned to Victor, “Can you get our guests some water after you’ve fed Makkachin?”

“Sure,” Victor said. He led Makkachin out of the room. Yuuri assumed it was to feed Makkachin and get water.

“Victor insists on having Makkachin fed before he eats himself,” Yuri explained. “He says some nonsense about how he feels bad if he is full but Makkachin is hungry.”

Yuuri took a seat next to Beatrice at the end of the table. He noticed that his plate did not have as much food on it as he expected which he was silently grateful for. On his plate, there was potato, steak and an assortment of vegetables. He started feeling queasy at the thought of having this stuff inside of him. He kind of wished that the steak was raw and bloody so that he could have had gotten some energy from it but instead the steak was cooked brown all the way through and devoid of that liquid he so desperately needed. Yuuri picked up his knife and slowly cut into the steak. He definitely did not look forward to eating the holy water that was undoubtedly laced through it.

Victor returned swiftly and without Makkachin. He was carrying many cups of water atop a tray. Yuuri wondered why he didn’t just fill up a pitcher but swiftly dismissed that train of thought. Perhaps the hunters didn’t have a pitcher. Victor softly placed the tray on the table and quickly began to distribute the cups of water. Yuuri muttered soft thanks and received a beaming smile in return. He ignored the way that Victor’s smile highlighted his sharp cheekbones and strong jawline. Victor seated himself next to Yuri.

The group ate in relative silence which Yuuri was thankful for. He was always terrible at making chit-chat especially around strangers. Plus, the silence allowed him to focus on finishing his ‘meal’ without choking or crying. He was thankful that the water was tasteless and free of holy water. Actually, the water tasted oddly pleasant. Familiar. Not like blood but something else. He couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.

By the time everyone had finished their food, Beatrice was yawning loudly and Emily appeared to be sharing the same sentiment. Mila noticed, “Are you guys ready for bed?”

“Yeah,” Beatrice muttered, rubbing her eye, “So sleepy.” Emily nodded in agreement with her daughter.

“What about you, Yuuri?” Victor asked, hands folded beneath his chin as he rested his elbows on the table.

Yuuri snapped his attention to the silver-haired man. “I am exhausted but I think I might like to stay up a little longer if that’s alright.” Yuuri didn’t exactly want to lock himself away in a room with nothing to do all night, especially if it was with Beatrice and Emily nearby. They might notice his constant activity throughout the night because Yuuri would never go to bed – vampirism had its perks. He saw no reason to retire for the night when he could wait until the last possible moment.

Yuuri caught Mila and Yuri glancing at each other from the corner of his eye.

“That’s fine,” Victor said. “The others and I will likely be staying up a lot longer to wait for Georgi and Yakov to return back safely.”

Yuuri nodded. “I’m used to late nights, anyway, so that’s fine with me.”

“Oh? What keeps you up?” Victor seemed to be genuinely curious if the way he titled his head to the side and his eyebrows furrowed was any indication.

“I dance,” Yuuri responded hesitantly. It wasn’t a lie, Yuuri did spend a lot of his night dancing. Minako had given him a key to her studio and he often stayed back late by himself to dance to music both old and new. It was an escape for him. He had so many responsibilities as the head vampire that more often than not he liked to remind himself of his past… even if that past wasn’t exactly pleasant.

“Ah, yes! You mentioned it earlier. Yuri told you that Yakov makes us dance.” Victor grinned, “Actually, I like to skate, as well. On ice.”

Yuuri immediately decided that ice-skating was something that suited Victor. His silver hair, clear blue eyes and frosty skin all reminded Yuuri of a winter’s day. Yuuri himself had tried out ice-skating a few times and decided he liked the activity. His history in dancing and his vampire abilities certainly helped him become quite good at it pretty quickly. “I’ve skated before,” Yuuri commented.

Victor’s eyes lit up, “Really? Yakov takes us all to the rink sometimes after successful missions as a treat. If you weren’t leaving soon then perhaps I would have liked if you joined us.”

Yuuri wasn’t sure how to feel about that. On one hand, he detested the idea of having to stay any longer than necessary with a bunch of hunters but on the other hand Victor definitely seemed to be a better person than he had ever anticipated. Perhaps in another life they might have been able to get along. Yuuri smiled solemnly.

Mila stood and began to pile the plates on top of each other. Yuri slowly started to do the same. “Victor,” She said, “Can you take Emily and Beatrice back to their rooms, please?”

Victor nodded without hesitation. The two women trailed along behind Victor as he strolled out of the room. Victor paused at the door to wink back at Yuuri. Yuuri startled. Was Victor flirting? Unlikely, he was probably just being friendly. Besides, Yuuri definitely didn’t want attention from the likes of him.

With Victor’s absence, the dining room seemed a lot less lively. Yuuri swallowed, wincing as his own saliva irritated the rash on his throat from breathing incense and eating holy water. If it wasn’t for the holy water, his throat likely would have been fine but holy water prevents vampires from healing.

Lights illuminated the room from outside. The screech of a braking car alerted Yuuri, Yuri and Mila to the return of Yakov and Georgi. It wasn’t long before they heard the front door swing open and the two men hurry into the house. Yuuri could smell fresh blood. _Sweet blood._

“Mila, Yakov needs healing,” Georgi’s voice called. Mila dumped all the plates back onto the dining table and hurried into the next room.

“I’ll grab the solution,” Mila called back to them.

Yuri placed the cutlery on top of his own plates and then placed those plates on top of Mila’s. He pushed past Yuuri and made his way into the room where Yakov and Georgi sounded like they had been. Yuuri wordlessly followed.

Yakov was clutching his own arm as Georgi unwrapped a makeshift bandage from it. Blood had soaked all the way through the white fabric. Yuuri let in a deep breath, reveling in the scent of blood. He could feel his fangs begin to slip out of his gums. He immediately lowered his eyes. If his fangs were extending, then his eyes were likely beginning to shine red. He was thankful that the hunters were too caught up in Yakov to notice something off about his behavior.

 “What happened? Get jumped?” Yuri questioned, slipping into his native tongue. Yuuri had no problem understanding.

“Yeah,” Georgi replied, “More newborns were lurking around. There are so many of those fiends. We killed them all but one of them bit into Yakov’s hand. There didn’t seem to be much saliva to heal the wound though.”

“That’s alright,” Mila said as she came into the room with a clear bottle, “We have plenty here.”

Yakov groaned, “I hate that stuff.” He held his hand out to Mila anyway. The hunters were using vampire saliva to heal battle wounds? How did they manage to collect so much of it, anyway? Yuuri ran his tongue along his gums and across his teeth.

“Yuuri,” Georgi said in English, “That was your name, right?”

Yuuri nodded but didn’t look up. He didn’t want to risk his eyes giving him away.

“If you don’t want to see this you don’t have to watch.”

Yuuri nodded once more and turned away. It was definitely better for him to not be here if someone was bleeding. His body ached. He needed to drink blood soon. He passed Victor as he went through the door. Yuuri wandered to the end of the corridor before he found himself in the living room.

He needed blood. It was becoming too much. All his senses were reminding him that there, behind him, right there, was some blood. It wouldn’t be too much trouble to kill the other humans to get to the blood, right? He could easily sink his teeth into their necks and-

No. That’s suicide and he knew that.

In the center of the living room, chewing on a bone-shaped toy, was Makkachin. The dog’s tail was wagging as she joyfully destroyed the plastic with her teeth. Her heart thumped rapidly in her chest and made her blood flow quickly so that she could play. The dog noticed him and released the toy from her jaws, ears lifting slightly as she sat at attention.

Yuuri had to make a decision. If he was going to drink from Makkachin he had to do it now and he had to do it quickly before Victor and the others returned from helping Yakov. Yuuri could hear their hearts beating from where he was. He could hear so many hearts beating and his teeth and his hunger and his entire body urged him, _begged him_ , to choose one and _feast._ If he didn’t, he’d start going crazy if he wasn’t already.

He knew that he had already decided what he was going to do and waiting any longer was a waste of time. He was kidding himself if he thought he could wait. He glanced around and spotted the bathroom. Eagerly, he patted his thighs and urged Makkachin to follow him in there. If his heart still beat it would have been doing so at a startling pace. Yuuri would have to find a way to thank Victor at some time for Makkachin’s obedience.

Once he was in the small room, he locked the door and knelt down next to the confused dog. He parted the fur on her neck, thankful for how clean her fur was, and wasted no time piercing her flesh with his fangs. He barely noticed her whines as blood – _real blood_ – ran into his mouth. He sucked and he drank, letting out a small moan of ecstasy at how amazing it tasted on his tongue.

It was over so soon. Makkachin had begun to slump and while she was still conscious, she likely wouldn’t be for much longer. Yuuri prided himself on his control too much for him to almost kill a dog. He lathered the bite marks in his saliva and pulled away from her. pushed the fur back to cover up the marks. Perhaps it was a good thing that his feast was so short or else he might greaten the risk of getting caught.

He stood and looked in the mirror. His eyes were glowing that familiar red shade and Makkachin blood lined his lips. He licked at it until there was none left to be seen. He could feel his fangs begin to retract and he watched as his eyes quickly began to fade back to their natural colour of dark brown. Makkachin had her tail pulled tight against her body and was sitting by the door, whining softly.

Feeling a little guilty, Yuuri opened the door and let her out. Makkachin slumped against one of the lounges far from Yuuri and seemed to fall asleep. Yuuri knew that she wouldn’t remember anything. Vampire saliva erased memories. It would be very suspicious if Makkachin woke up and avoided Yuuri.

Yuuri sat down on one of the single lounges and reclined back into it. He was overcome with that familiar sense of misery. How he wished he didn’t have to resort to drinking from an animal to survive. It reminded him too much of the hardest parts of his long life. He prayed that this part would all be over soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Yuuri finally got a sip from something.
> 
> A major part of what I'm struggling to decide in this is who I'm trying to villainise. I have so many ideas but I don't particularly hate any of the characters? I think I know what I'm going to write but FEEL FREE TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS because it might help me write the story a lot faster. 
> 
> If you want, you can join me on tumblr too: http://lalody.tumblr.com/ I will occasionally post something about the progress of the next chapter! Otherwise I mainly post shipping stuff from various fandoms.
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos! I enjoy reading all the comments and I try my best to reply to every single one! If you have questions I WILL see them and I WILL answer them to the best of my abilities :) I really like hearing everything you guys have to say even if it is constructive criticism because if you guys notice a flaw in my story that I haven't it helps me correct them and make it better for everyone.
> 
> Peace x  
> (Hopefully the next chapter won't take me another three weeks...)


	4. Of A New Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh words cannot describe how terrible I feel for delaying this so long! So much stuff has happened between university and my father passing away that it just kept getting pushed further from my mind. But just as I promised, I did not abandon this fic! I am determined to finish this one even if it takes me a long time to get through it. 
> 
> Speaking of promises... I did read every comment but I didn't reply to them all because I got so many! I did read every single one and there are few that made me so excited that it motivated me to work on this chapter more.
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy this chapter <3 I hope I can live up to your expectations.

The night had come to an end when Mila had later found Yuuri seated in the living room by himself and had asked politely if he was ready to retire for the night. Yuuri had agreed, figuring that it was probably a good idea to get away from the hunters now that he had feasted from Makkachin and the animal was acting suspiciously lethargic. Mila had taken Yuuri to an empty guest room with the instruction to be awake at 6:00am. The early time was odd but Yuuri couldn’t think of any negative reasons as to why they wanted him to be up that early.

Not that Yuuri would have any trouble being awake at that time; Yuuri was always awake. It came with the territory of being a vampire.

He could remember the very first night he spent awake. The vampire that had turned him – Celestino – had told him he was to avoid the sunlight entirely for at least a month because not only was he extremely susceptible to being killed by the sun but his wild, red eyes and extended teeth would undoubtedly bring him unnecessary attention that Celestino really did not want to have to deal with. Yuuri had spent his first night wandering around in the small village. That was the night he had his first successful hunt; He devoured his own murderers.

Yuuri had been an entertainer, a brilliant dancer, and he had spent the night before dancing for his village. There were some foreigners in town that night who had captured him as he wandered around while everyone else slept, muttering something in a foreign tongue; he had tried to call out but the foreigners must have decided he was too much trouble and slit his throat. He regained consciousness the next morning within a cave one kilometer away from the village with this insatiable desire to drink. It had been a tough time for Yuuri and, naturally, he and Celestino were not welcome near the village for much longer. Celestino hadn’t seemed to mind; he had told Yuuri that he saw great potential in him – a successful lone hunt on his first night was apparently exceptional – and that he didn’t doubt with some experience and confidence Yuuri could be one of the strongest vampires to roam the Earth.

It had been such a long time already since Celestino turned to dust.

Yuuri gazed out the window, looking up at the moon. The curtains danced softly with the breeze and the incense drifted into the night making intricate patterns before fading into nothing. Soft, yellow lanterns illuminated the veranda like large fireflies. All Yuuri could hear was hushed whispers from somewhere in the house – Yuuri couldn’t bring himself to listen closely to them.

Yuuri reached for his phone and noted that it’s battery life had only thirty-percent remaining. Well, he couldn’t use that for entertainment if he didn’t want to immediately run out of charge. He briefly considered trying to break out of the window but several things held him back: he likely didn’t have enough strength to do it quickly, it would draw attention to his room, he did not have enough energy to make it back to Hasetsu, and even if he _did_ make it back the hunters would immediately track his identity back to Yu-Topia and investigate the family that went to such lengths to protect him and his kind.

Yuuri wordlessly settled on top of his bed and assumed a meditative stance. This would help pass the time.

 

Yuuri had been so lost in thoughts and memories of the past that he didn’t break concentration until the sound of people moving around invaded his senses. He opened his eyes, stretched his limbs as much as he could and checked his phone; it was only 3:33am. He ignored the irritation in his stomach from eating human food the night before and stood up from his bed, wondering who was up at this time.

_Thud._

Yuuri paused and listened carefully. “Oh, my God, Victor-” It was Mila whispering loudly– “You almost dropped her!” Dropped who? His mind went to the only plausible options: Emily and Beatrice.

Next was the unmistakable scorn from Yuri, “We’re lucky they’re out cold or else she might have woken up. You guys think we should feed them more saliva in case they wake up in the car or something?”

“They won’t wake up,” Mila stated. “There was a lot more than we usually use in their drinks.”

Yuri groaned, “I wish Yakov wasn’t out, too. I wouldn’t have to be awake for this if he didn’t go and cut his hand open.”

“But Yuri,” Victor chimed in, “These are _your_ witnesses. You wouldn’t be doing this if you had waited a little longer to engage like I said.” So they _were_ talking about Beatrice and Emily.

Another thud. “Oi, shut up, old fart. That vampire was about to kill them! Waiting would have just-”

“Keep your voice down, Yuri,” Victor chided.

Mila spoke again, “Let’s just hurry up and get these two ready.”

Yuuri could only hear silence for a few moments before heavy footsteps made their way out of the house. What were the hunters doing? It sounded as though this was a regular thing the hunters did.

Yuuri didn’t have to wait long because soon a pair of footsteps were arriving outside his door and his door was creaking open without a knock. Georgi’s head appeared between the crack. His eyes widened in surprise to see Yuuri standing in the middle of the room. “You’re awake?” Georgi questioned. Yuuri could detect a slight waiver in his voice that suggested he was nervous – Yuuri recognized it because that was one of the habits he had to break in his training with Celestino.

Yuuri nodded, “I had trouble sleeping and I thought I heard something.”

Georgi’s eyes flitted around for a moment before settling back on Yuuri. “Alright,” He said, “Wait here. Don’t go to sleep just yet.” Not that Yuuri could even if he wanted to but Georgi didn’t know that.

Yuuri focused his hearing again while Georgi disappeared. He heard the quick thud of footsteps receding from his room followed by the creak of a hinged door being opened.

“Georgi,” Yuuri could hear Victor speak, “Where is Yuuri?”

“Awake,” Georgi responded, voice almost breathy.

Silence.

When Victor spoke again his voice was low, “The saliva didn’t work on him?”

“He remembered me,” Georgi replied.

Yuuri didn’t hear a response. Were the hunters now aware that he was a vampire? Yuuri was very well aware that vampire Saliva acted like a narcotic, a healer and to wipe recent memories and that it didn’t work on vampires. Surely the hunters were aware of the same thing. Yuuri glanced at the window and once again contemplated attempting to escape.

“If that’s the case then there’s only one option left,” Victor said ominously.

When Georgi spoke again he sounded exhausted, “I don’t want to be the one to do it and he’s awake right now, waiting for me to return and probably terrified out of his mind. Mila, Yuri and I can take the woman and child back to town so how about you go and speak to him yourself. He’s your problem, anyway, and you seem to like him more than other witnesses.”

The hunters planned to _speak_ with Yuuri? They didn’t seem panicked either which meant that perhaps they weren’t aware that he was a vampire yet… what was going on? Yuuri supposed it made sense for them to not consider he was a vampire because they seemed to believe their warding was enough to protect them from anything.

“Well,” Victor began, “Mila and Yuri are already waiting in the car so let them know what has happened. I’ll go speak with Yuuri, I guess.”

“Good. Yakov was saying a few weeks ago that it was about time you did your own induction.”

 _Induction?_ Yuuri’s legs almost gave way from beneath him. They weren’t planning on _killing_ him; They were planning on _recruiting_ him! It all made sense. Of course the hunters would attempt to recruit the people who were seemingly immune to the memory wipe. Yuuri had encountered few humans with such a talent – humans who would not quickly become weary and pass out after feeding. In those circumstances, to protect the secret, he would offer them eternal life… if they failed to accept, he would snap their necks. He stopped feeling bad about it after about 20 years of living this way.

He had never considered what _hunters_ would do if they came across such a person. If he refused to be recruited would they treat him the same as he had treated those people? Yuuri knew what the answer was. He had no choice; if they decided to execute him, like Yuuri suspected they would, he was too weak to retaliate right now. It wouldn’t be until his head rolled and his body slowly began to turn to dust that the hunters would realize he was not human and track down all his associates and his family. He would rather withstand the pain of remaining longer in this base than putting his kin in further danger.

Yuuri heard steps outside as Victor approached his room. The tap of knuckles on his door was light but rapid, almost hesitant to intrude. The door opened and Victor appeared, dressed entirely in dark clothes as though he was ready to sneak around in the dark.

“Hello, Yuuri,” Victor’s lips quirked up into and awkward smile, “I don’t mean to intrude and I’m sure you must be very confused and possibly scared… but we need to have a chat about everything that has happened.”

Yuuri tried to speak but his throat was dry from the incense. He coughed.

Victor frowned and stepped into the room, “Oh… are you ill?”

Yuuri was about to respond but Victor raised a hand to press it against his forehead. The scent of blood just beneath his skin wafted tantalizingly through the air and, at reflex, Yuuri closed his eyes and turned his face away. He couldn’t allow Victor to see his eyes in case they flashed red. While it was true that he had only recently eaten from Makkachin, animal blood was terribly unsatisfying and the quantity of blood supplied would barely be a snack regardless. He was still terribly hungry and his body would only react accordingly.

Victor pulled his hand away, as if realizing he had intruded. It was still odd to Yuuri that the greatest hunter of all time was such an open and physically comfortable person. He had imagined Nikiforov was someone more… solemn. Focused. Deadly. Victor was unexpectedly kind.

“Sorry,” Victor spoke softly, “I wasn’t going to hurt you.”

Yuuri reopened his eyes, confident that his eyes wouldn’t be red any longer, and glanced up at Victor. “I believe you.” Yuuri hadn’t flinched out of fear of being hurt.

Victor lit up, eyes cheery and mouth forming a soft smile. “Good! We do have to talk though so please follow me to the living room.”

Yuuri nodded.

The walk to the living room was quiet. Yuuri noticed the way Victor’s shoulders were tense and he carried himself with a sense of uncertainty. The way Georgi had spoken earlier suggested that Victor was just as unsure of himself as he appeared.

Victor perched himself on the edge of a single recliner chair and gestured politely for Yuuri to sit, too. Yuuri couldn’t stop himself from gripping the fabric of his clothes – an old nervous habit he thought he had been rid of many years ago.

“First,” Victor began, “I think the most important part of our talk is to answer some of the questions you have. That person you saw me kill was not a real person, Yuuri.” Victor adopted a solemn expression and stared intently into Yuuri’s eyes, “This may be very hard to believe and will definitely come to a shock to you, but… Yuuri, that person I killed was a monster. And I don’t mean just a terrible person, either, I mean they were what we might refer to as a vampire.”

Yuuri hesitated for a moment too long, entirely unsure of how to react. Should he attempt to deny the existence of vampires or would it be more natural for him react some other way like fear or doubt? Victor seemed to take his silence as shock.

“This will definitely sound crazy and I’m very sorry to have to tell you about this. I would have much rather taken you home with no memories but the memory erasure didn’t work on you. That means now I have to tell you and there’s no going back for you.” Victor allowed himself a deep breath, “We, meaning myself and the others, work as a part of an elite vampire extermination squad. We’re dispatched in areas of high vampire activity and given full authority to eliminate anything that might threaten regular citizens.”

“So,” Yuuri started, thinking carefully about what would be appropriate to say. How would a regular person react to this? “You’re a vampire hunter? And that person you killed was a vampire?”

Victor nodded, seeming to relax, “Yes. Not only that but the vampire I killed was trying to kill you. If… if I hadn’t been there then it’s likely you wouldn’t be with us today.”

Yuuri doubted that very much. If Victor had never been there then Yuuri would have just eliminated the crazed newborn and carried on with his hunt. Instead of having to endure life in this hell, he would be home surrounded by the Katsuki household and pleasantly going about his daily life. But Victor didn’t know any of this. He thought he _saved_ Yuuri. He had absolutely no idea the hell he had dragged Yuuri into.

The little satisfied smile on Victor’s lips disgusted him. Yuuri had no choice but to smile back.

Victor’s smile fell, “Yuuri.”

“Yes?” Yuuri’s voice sounded pathetic even to his own ears.

“I’m sorry but we don’t have any other choice,” Victor leaned forward, “I can’t allow you to return to your normal life. You will have to stay with us permanently and be taken under Yakov’s guidance.”

Yuuri knew it was coming but his stomach still flipped. “What?”

“Our protocols don’t allow us to release any witness whose body rejected the saliva,” Victor stated.

“But I have people who will miss me,” Yuuri argued. “Friends, family… what am I supposed to tell them?”

Victor grimaced. “Nothing. You will be marked as a missing person. We’ll also have to dispose of your phone and you’ll be forbidden from contacting them…”

“You can’t be serious.” That wouldn’t be too big of a deal because Yuuri had the phone numbers of all his companions memorized. He’d have to find another way to contact Phichit, Minami and the Katsuki family.

“I’m sorry, Yuuri.” The weirdest part was that Victor didn’t seem _truly_ sympathetic. He pulled all the right faces and spoke softly at all the right moments but he seemed desensitized to whole ordeal. Yuuri wasn’t exactly capable of criticizing anyone for apathy but it made him curious as to how frequently this kind of abduction occurred. Yuuri knew that this kind of thing broke the spirits of younger, more naïve people.

It was then that Yuuri realized that even though the duties and goals of the hunters were noble in theory, their operations were just as dark and corrupt as those that they despised so much.

Perhaps the hunters weren’t so different from their prey. Vampires may be monsters but humans are also capable of horrible things. Humans agree so readily that minor disturbing events to protect society at large is acceptable so long as they are not personally affected by said event. Both species were capable of such cruelty and yet these hunters thought themselves far superior. Yuuri allowed a small smirk at the thought.

“I know this is a lot to take in and you won’t have to start doing anything right away but please keep what I’ve told you in mind and think it over.” Victor leaned forward and adopted a stern expression, “When Yakov wakes up later he will be able to show you some things that might make everything a little easier to believe.”

Did they have a vampire chained up in their basement or something? At this point, Yuuri wouldn’t be surprised. He nodded.

“Although, I must say,” Victor tilted his head to the side, “You’re taking this whole thing a lot better than I was anticipating.”

Yuuri didn’t respond. He should have said something earlier about vampires not existing. Perhaps he should have tried crying.

Victor stood, probably realizing how reluctant Yuuri was to talk with him. “It’s late. We should go back to bed.”

Yuuri nodded. Going back to his room right now was definitely the safer strategy. He had some last minute texts to send, anyway.

“Yuuri,” Victor’s voice was softer now. Yuuri found himself captured by soft blue eyes. “It will be hard but try to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be tough day for you and the start of a new life.”

‘Oh, Victor,’ Yuuri thought, ‘You have _no_ idea.’

 

When Yuuri was safely back in his own room, he immediately pulled out his phone.

 **To Phichit:** I will try to contact you soon on a different number. Don’t try to find me; it’s too dangerous. Don’t respond to this number.

He deleted all his texts. He doubted that the hunters would suspect him enough to search through his phone any deeper once he handed it over.

Yuuri considered the possibility of escape now. He couldn’t run away. He couldn’t overpower them. Perhaps he could try to earn their trust…

He’d just have to wait patiently for the right opportunity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? The plot thickens. Yuuri now knows what happens to witnesses. Outside communication is being cut. Yuuri is getting dragged deeper and deeper into this whole hunter mess. 
> 
> Not sure when the next chapter will be but it will be a lot sooner than this one was haha.


	5. Allegedly Eros

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :::DUB-CON WARNING:::  
> And no, I don't ship what you're about to read...
> 
> This chapter is up a lot earlier than I thought it'd be but I'm glad it is!

-

500 B.C.E.

-

Yuuri groaned in pain as he was taken from behind. The oils did surprisingly little to ease the ache of being exposed, penetrated and _torn apart_ for the very first time. He felt humiliated, his stomach churned and his legs threatened to give way from beneath him.

“You’ll have to get used to this quickly,” Celestino panted from behind him. “The clients here expect the best. Your talents are what convince them to let young vampires like yourself feed when they’re finished.”

Tears threatened to spill with each thrust of Celestino’s hips. He wasn’t cut out for this, it didn’t feel right. “S-sire, I don’t think I can–”

“Nonsense,” Celestino immediately cut him off. “How else do you expect a vampire of your age to feed? If you’re caught you will be beheaded and I nor any of the others here will risk themselves to save you.”

Yuuri groaned again louder as, for the first of many times in Yuuri’s life, the sweet spot deep inside of him was hit. “What- what was tha-?”

“Your new best friend,” Celestino responded. “The faster you learn to abuse that part of you, Yuuri, the faster you will find your place in this life. If it gets too hard, try to picture the blood that comes after.”

“Gods…” Yuuri quaked.

“No God listens to your prayers anymore,” Celestino thrusted into Yuuri one last time, digging his fingers into his hips and pulling the young vampire harshly towards him. “You’re one of the undead; There’s no salvation for our kind. You ought to remember that.”

Celestino dismounted and allowed Yuuri to collapse onto the furs. Yuuri cringed as he felt foreign liquids drip down his balls and glisten his thighs. His penis was still - to his mortification – hard and he wasn’t sure how to make it go away. He rolled onto his back and lifted a shaking hand to wipe away tears pooling at his eyes. “Sire?”

The elder vampire paused his dressing to glance back at his apprentice. “What is it?”

“Y-you said after you broke me in that…”

“Right.” Celestino grinned, “I said I’d give you a name, didn’t I?”

Yuuri looked to the ceiling and nodded.

“The name I give to you is something you should aspire to embody, something far from your regular self but… a goal that will make you stronger if you can achieve it.” Celestino finished tying his clothes together. “The name I chose for you, Yuuri, is Eros.”

-

MODERN DAY

-

Yuuri’s meditation broke as the sound of bubbling laughter reached his ears. It was gleeful and feminine. Mila.

“That wasn’t funny, hag!” Yurio shouted, clearly riled up by something Mila had done or said.

Yuuri stood up from his bed and stretched. His muscles felt weaker than earlier and his stomach was aching unhappily. Makkachin’s blood was wearing off quickly but he figured he would be okay for now. He was almost used to the suffocating scent of burning incense though a quick glance at the window informed him that the incense had burned out sometime overnight. The air must have cleared considerably since then… perhaps if he doesn’t mention it the hunters will forget to replace it.

He made his way through the house towards the commotion he had heard earlier. The hunters appeared to be eating breakfast at the dining table.

Mila was the first to notice him. “Yuuri! Good morning.”

The room hushed as the rest of the hunters noticed he was there. Yuri glanced at Yuuri so quickly that, if he didn’t have heightened senses, he may have missed it. The young hunter poked absently at his bacon with a fork. Georgi took a slow drink from a glass cup. Victor’s lazy grin had slipped off his face.

Victor was the first to recover and turned towards Yuuri with a large, beautiful and devastatingly fake grin. “We were just having some breakfast. Please, make yourself at home.”

Yuuri eyed the toast, bacon and eggs distastefully. “I’m not very hungry…”

Mila looked at him with a stern, disapproving expression. “I know it’s hard but today is a big day for you and you need the energy.”

He couldn’t really argue with that. Putting on his most innocent smile, he made his way to the empty chair beside Yuri and took a seat. He could feel four sets of eyes watching as he slowly began moving food onto his plate. He gave himself two pieces of bacon and a fried egg and hoped no one thought his small portion was suspicious. No-one made a comment on it but the pointed look in Mila’s eyes let him know that it didn’t go unnoticed.

“So, Yuuri,” Mila began, “Victor spoke to you yesterday, correct?”

Yuuri pulled apart a tiny piece of bacon as he nodded. He was surprised to discover that there seemed to be a lot less holy water on the bacon than there was on the previous night’s dinner. Unfortunately, his mouth and throat were already sore so the small traces of holy water still painfully irritated his tender skin. He couldn’t stop the wince.

“I can imagine that there’s a lot on your mind right now,” Mila said. “I wouldn’t really know because I was born into the hunter lifestyle.”

Yuuri nodded again. He wasn’t sure what was the socially acceptable response; it’s not like he could tell them about his childhood in return. Somehow he didn’t think that they would appreciate the story of his own death.

Yuri rolled his eyes with a sigh. “What the hag is trying to say is if you need someone to talk to about this then you can talk to any of us and we’d listen.” The sincerity in the young firecracker’s expression surprised Yuuri. He supposed you couldn’t judge a book by their leopard-print cover.

“Yeah,” Mila agreed. “All of our stories are different but it might help you understand what’s going on if we spoke about our pasts with you. We did the same with Yuri here and it certainly helped him.”

“Shut up,” Yuri snapped but went ignored by Mila.

Yuuri raised his eyebrows in an effort to appear curious, “You’re new to this, too, Yuri?”

Yuri scoffed, “No. I’ve been doing this since I was fourteen and I’m now twenty and on one of the best hunting teams that we have. I’m _far_ from an amateur.”

“Our Yuri is really quite impressive with a knife and quite the sharpshooter,” Victor added. Yuuri noticed that the blonde seemed to be unsettled by the praise.

“I’m the fastest,” Mila boasted. “It’s nothing compared to the speed of an older vampire but my speed and reaction time has saved me in fights before. I’ve also trained with weapons since I was a young girl and, once, I decapitated a new born vampire using only rosary beads and an axe. Yuri saw it!”

“It’s true,” Yuri confirmed, almost begrudgingly. “One of the few times this hag has impressed me.”

“Yuri!” Mila gushed, “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“Don’t ever expect me to say anything like that ever again.”

“I won’t! Anyway, Georgi here is in charge of vehicles and scouting for the most part. It’s difficult because those monsters have really good hearing so if we arrive in a bad spot or our entrance is too loud then we’re in terrible danger.”

Georgi nodded, “I’m quite good at sniping, too. I can help out from a distance.”

“And of course there’s also Yakov,” Mila said cheerily. “Yakov is our squad leader. He has the most experience as a hunter so even Victor has to listen to what he says.”

Yuuri allowed his eyes to settle upon the poised, silver-haired man who seemed comfortable letting everyone else chat. “Why would it be different for Victor?” Yuuri asked. He knew the reason but he had to pretend that he knew nothing about these people. Although, in reality, he kind of doubted he actually knew anything about Victor at all.

Yuuri’s question brought Victor back into the conversation with a smug smirk. “I’ve been officially acknowledged as the greatest hunter in the world.”

“Victor killed on a 450-year-old vampire in America recently,” Yuri added. 

“Oh,” Yuuri said meekly, “V-vampires live that long?”

“Certainly,” Mila nodded. “That’s the oldest one we have seen with our own eyes but we have records of vampires that are said to be at least one-thousand years old.” Georgi shuddered. Yuuri entertained the idea of just telling them that he was two-thousand and five-hundred years old just to see what their reaction would be.

“There’s this one vampire that Victor is obsessed with finding,” Yuri said darkly, as if it was some particularly juicy secret. “We have no idea how old it is or if it’s even real but Victor is looking for this supposed legendary vampire King that goes by the name of Eros.”

Reading it in a text from Phichit had been one thing but hearing it straight from the mouths of the hunters themselves was entirely different. Yuuri knew from the very beginning that Victor Nikiforov was likely out to get him but it was only just now truly occurring to Yuuri what that meant. It also happened to be the perfect opportunity to try to get more information. “Why is Victor after this Eros? Fame?”

Mila didn’t comment. Her eyes fluttered to Victor.

When Victor’s eyes met Yuuri’s they were icy as their colour. “Eros killed my parents and turned my best friend into one of those monsters.”

Yuuri froze.

What?

He was absolutely certain that he had never met Victor Nikiforov before now and Minami was certainly the last vampire he had created.  Victor couldn’t be older than thirty-years-old which meant it was impossible for Yuuri to have been the culprit. Why did he believe so unshakably that it was Eros?

Before Yuuri could make any comment, a new figure entered the dining room. “Heavy conversation for the early morning, isn’t it, kids?”

“Good morning, Yakov,” Mila greeted, breaking the tension. “There’s some left over food here. How do you feel?”

Yakov huffed. “I don’t recall how I got back here.”

“We used a small amount of saliva on your wound to help it heal,” Georgi replied.

Yakov hummed as his gaze settled on Yuuri. “Why was this witness not returned to their house?” Yakov’s eyes shifted pointedly to Victor as if he was somehow responsible for everything.

“Ah, yes!” Victor easily ignored the sour look. “Yuuri here was unresponsive to the saliva so, as per protocol, I went ahead and began his induction.”

Yakov’s only reaction was mild exasperation. “Well, at least you’re finally learning how to act responsibly. Yuuri does seem to be taking it quite well, all things considered.”

Yuuri allowed a small, nervous smile to appear on his lips. Mila, with the affection Yuuri would expect from a sister, rushed to his side and wrapped an arm tightly around his shoulders. “It’s hard but we’re getting through it, right, Yuuri?”

Yuuri nodded.  He didn’t enjoy the feeling of this hunter’s skin touching his own. He wondered if she noticed how much colder he was than her. The longer a vampire starved, the colder their body became in an effort to preserve heat and energy. They didn’t grow so cold that a normal person would immediately notice but it might draw suspicion from trained hunters. Mila didn’t seem to notice.

Yakov dragged a chair out and sat at the table next to Victor. “Yuuri begins training today. When we begin dance, Yuuri will participate. I believe you said something about being a dancer?”

“Yes, sir,” Yuuri agree.

Mila’s arm slipped from around Yuuri and nestled under her chin thoughtfully. “Isn’t it a little early for Yuuri to begin training? He only found out about this whole mess last night…”

“Nonsense,” Yakov declared. “There is no rest in this line of work.” He stared directly into Yuuri’s wide eyes, “The monsters might strike us at any time. They’re not going to wait for you to be ready for them. Any delay in preparing you for the inevitable multiplies your chance of dying.”

“When I was inducted I didn’t have to start working right away,” Yuri challenged.

Yakov brought a piece of bacon to his mouth and chewed vigorously. “We rescued you and brought you immediately to a secure base in Russia. You were safe. Here, it’s just us and we’re on a mission. We don’t have the luxury of allowing Yuuri any time to rest.”

Yuri shrugged, “Whatever. When are we going to start dance?”

“At ten I want you all outside stretching.” Yakov’s tone was unquestionable and authoritative. “We’ll dance for an hour and then we’ll go the gym and test Yuuri’s physical abilities so we have an idea of where he needs to train his body. When we get back Victor is responsible for teaching Yuuri how to hold a weapon or two and then tonight we will see if we can get Yuuri some first-hand experience.”

Georgi was the first to react, “We’re taking Yuuri on a hunt so soon?”

Yakov huffed a laugh, “He has to witness those demons for himself so he has the same drive that the rest of us have to work hard and exterminate them. He won’t be leaving the car for his own safety. He will stay with Georgi and observe.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Mila said, biting her lip. “It’s too dangerous for someone that has no way of defending himself.”

Yuuri considered the situation. While he didn’t fancy sitting back and observing as hunters searched for and slayed his brethren, he also considered the possibility of being able to exit the vehicle and get some fresh air. If he was super lucky he could sneak away and take a bite out of a passerby if left alone. If he was extra lucky, the hunters would encounter an older vampire and die. He was so caught up in thoughts of the potential benefits of getting away from the house that he didn’t realize the others were still talking until Mila placed a reassuring hand on his own.

“Yuuri,” Mila stared straight into his eyes, “If you don’t want to do this today then nobody is going to force you to, alright?”

“Uh, that’s okay!” Yuuri hoped he didn’t sound _too_ eager. “I think it’d be… good for me to see everything first-hand.”

“A hunter at heart,” Victor added, his grin cheery and flirtatiously inviting. “You’ll fit in well with that attitude.”

Yuuri knew that, should Victor learn the truth about his status as the legendary vampire king and alleged murderer of Victor’s family and friend, he’d never direct such a bedazzling and artificially attractive expression his way. He hated that, as he grew accustom to the presence of the hunters and more certain that they believed his lies, part of him was starting to enjoy the attention of such a beautiful man.  Yuuri would never allow himself to be misguided by the beauty of another – after all, he knew all too well that the most beautiful faces often hid the ugliest personalities – but he’d be lying to himself if he didn’t think that a younger, more naïve Yuuri would have fawned over this man day and night. Yuuri had an appreciation for beauty, that much was true, but in his years he had seen far too much to become a victim of hot eyes and welcoming lips. He almost chuckled at the idea of Eros, expert of seduction and master of pleasure, falling for the tricks that he essentially invented.

But there was an innocence to Victor’s flirtations that Yuuri, himself, couldn’t say he possessed. It was almost as though Victor wasn’t entirely aware of the power of his own appearance… although that couldn’t possibly be true because, at other times, Victor would exude an aura of seductive authority and seemed the type to flirt unashamedly with anything that caught his eye. If Yuuri weren’t as cautious and mistrusting as he were, he’d have fallen into the terrible trap of becoming _smitten_ at first glance. Yuuri would be damned – though that wasn’t saying much, all things considered – before he would allow himself to become smitten with a hunter just because he was exceptionally attractive.

The simple fact of Victor being beautiful was certainly not enough to influence Yuuri’s trust in him. No matter how many times Victor harmlessly seemed as though he might be interested in Yuuri, the fact is that nothing would ever come from a relationship between them that was forged on the lie of Yuuri’s humanity. And forged upon a lie is what it’d have to be because the second Victor found out about who Yuuri was he would undoubtedly express every ounce of his hatred; all positive feelings would be lost in the void of dark emotions.

But Yuuri was getting _far_ ahead of himself. Innocent flirtations – not even that, really, because Victor had only sincerely flirted with him twice – hardly guaranteed that either party desired to act upon them. If Victor was aware of his charm, as Yuuri was sure he was, chances are that Victor desired to manipulate Yuuri into liking him with the sheer force of human attraction alone. A human, a _hunter_ no less, could not be trusted and thus Yuuri would never reciprocate any affections. He wasn’t in the habit of taking lovers anymore, anyway.

“Georgi should have some spare clothes for you,” Yakov announced, bringing Yuuri out of his thoughts. “I would imagine you don’t want to spend the next few days in the same clothes until we can purchase some new ones for you.”

“Of course not,” Yuuri replied, “Thank you, sir.”

Yakov leaned back with a proud expression fit smugly on his face, “Finally, someone around here with some manners. Perhaps Victor was right, maybe you will fit in here.”

Somehow, Yuuri doubted that tremendously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOoooohh so many juicy details have been revealed this chapter! 
> 
> Every time someone leaves a comment I gasp and giggle like a little girl. Every time I see that people are engaged in the story I become motivated to continue it quicker.
> 
> So basically, comments = faster chapters :P


End file.
